Testing Fate: A MadaSaku Love Story

Chapter 2

Come Monday, it was back to business as usual for Sakura. That meant waking up at five in the morning, going for a morning jog, showering, either eating breakfast at home or stopping by a cafe on her way to school for breakfast, attending classes until two in the afternoon, working a couple of hours at Power (a high-end clothing store at the mall) Monday through Thursday, and then coming home at approximately six in the evening to study for the remainder of the night. Then the routine repeats.

Sasuke officially apologized for his behavior the morning after Halloween, claiming he'd never have treated her so carelessly if it hadn't been for the alcohol. Sakura believed him. She thought things would go back to normal, especially since they finally broke their dry spell, but he returned to his dorm on Sunday night and has barely responded to her texts since. By the time Thursday rolled around, the woman was an anxious mess. She kept making mistakes at work and couldn't focus on her studies when she got home, either.

'Did I do something to make him mad? He's not usually the type to ghost me like this....'

She chewed on the end of her pen with emerald eyes glazed over in deep thought rather than taking in the reading material she was trying to comprehend.

It soon became evident that she was wasting her efforts, and she decided to break the cycle by walking to the little grocery store at the end of the block. Sasuke usually comes over on Saturdays to hang out, so she planned to prepare a nice, home-cooked meal for him in an attempt to remedy whatever was going on.

The next day passed quickly, and Sakura still couldn't get much out of her boyfriend. She even called him when she got home from school, but he didn't pick up. On Saturday, the Uchiha man finally texted her around noon, confirming that he'd join her for dinner at six. Feeling encouraged, Sakura went to work making her mom's famous chili. Since it was cold out, it was perfect for eating while staying in. Maybe they could cuddle up and watch some movies afterward.

'Oh, I should take some to Madara tomorrow. I still haven't thanked him again for helping me out,' she smiled softly as she recalled her polite new neighbor and how he'd saved her from having to sleep in the hallway while dicing spicy peppers into tiny pieces.

He'd been a perfect gentleman the entire night, not making her uncomfortable even once after showing her his ID card. In her opinion, men her age needed to learn from his example. Even close friends like Kiba and Shino were likely to make a move on a drunk girl if they encountered one like Madara had her.

Six o'clock rolled around, but Sasuke didn't show. By seven, she called, and he didn't answer, so Sakura realized he wasn't coming. 'It looks like I'm gonna spend the night watching movies alone and eating ice cream to make myself feel better,' she sighed.

She began transferring the meal into a large storage bowl because she wasn't in the mood to eat it alone when she remembered her neighbor. After preparing a tupperware for him, she knocked on the room next door. It took so long for him to answer that Sakura nearly left because she thought he wasn't home.

It was apparent to her that he was surprised to see her standing there. Smiling as naturally as possible, she held out the container, "Hey, I wanted to thank you again for letting me crash at your place."

The man gave her a mildly confused look, and her face warmed as she realized her approach might not be welcome, "Um, I figured you probably don't get to eat a lot of homecooked meals, so I thought I'd bring you some dinner. You don't have to take it if you don't want; I just-" She trailed off when the statuesque man accepted the bowl, appearing less uncomfortable.

He smirked, almost a smile but not quite, "Thank you. I'll return your bowl."

He moved to go back into his apartment, but Sakura lifted a hand, feeling inclined to warn him, "It's, um, pretty spicy, by the way. I hope you don't mind."